Welcome to the 2018 Javelina Baseball Rewind sponsored by Whataburger. We'll be recapping all of the best moments from the Javelinas' postseason run, including their South Central Regional Championship. Be sure to continue to follow along as we post updates here and on social media, running through the highlights of TAMUK's run to the 2018 Division II Baseball Championships.

2018 Lone Star Conference Awards - May 9, 2018

10 different members of the Javelina baseball program were honored by the Lone Star Conference at the postseason awards banquet to kick off the 2018 postseason. Headlining the group was Tyler Flores (San Antonio, Texas) who was named the 2018 LSC Freshman of the Year in a season where he ended with a 7-1 record, a 2.91 ERA and 79 strikeouts on the hill. Joining him at the top was Levi Zents (Fort Worth, Texas) who was the lone First Team All-LSC honoree for the Javelinas. Zents finished the 2018 campaign with a .354 average behind 64 hits, 11 doubles, two triples and 44 RBI.

Flores also ended up on the All-LSC second team and was joined by Christian Caudle (Klein, Texas), Pablo Hernandez (Havana, Cuba) and Kyle Craft (Victoria, Texas). Rounding out the All-LSC selections with honorable mention status were Kohl Ullman (Houston, Texas), Manny Loredo (McAllen, Texas) and Joshua Valdez (Kyle, Texas). To finish up the awards banquet, Zents and Caudle were joined by Austin Ingraham (Fort Worth, Texas) on the LSC's All-Defensive squad, while Hernandez teamed up with Preston Plovanich (Santa Fe, Texas) to be named LSC All-Academic for their work in the classroom.

Javelinas defeat Falcons 18-8 in opening round of LSC Championships - May 10, 2018

The Hogs took on UT Permian Basin in the opening round of the LSC Championships at Wilder Park in Canyon, Texas. UTPB took the early lead in the top of the first with a pair of solo home runs but the Javelinas responded in the bottom of the frame with an RBI single from Dallas Stefano (Cypress, Texas), a bases-clearing double from Caudle who later scored on a dropped third strike.

Both sides traded punches with a two-run shot from the Falcons in the third that cut the lead to 5-4 before Brad Jones (Crandall, Texas) pushed another run home in the home half of the stanza with a bounding-ball single. UTPB took over the lead in the sixth after a three-run burst but the Hogs tacked on seven in the inning as Zents ignited the rally with an infield single that scored Alex Gonzalez (Corpus Christi, Texas). An RBI single from Stefano, a ground-rule double from Caudle and an RBI groundout from Hernandez put the Javelinas ahead for good, while Dylan Hutcheson (Wichita Falls, Texas) and Alex Gonzalez set the lead at 13-8 heading into the seventh.

Caudle brought home another in the seventh with an RBI single as he finished the day with four hits and six RBI, both career highs, before Ullman drove in two in the the eighth on the single to center and eventually scored on a two-run double to right center from Loredo to set the final score at 18-8. The win moved TAMUK ahead in the tournament for a matchup against Tarleton the following day in the LSC Championship semifinal round.

Javelinas fall to Texans 21-20 in LSC Championship semifinal round - May 11, 2018

The Javelinas were caught in a slugfest with Tarleton in the LSC Championship semifinal round at Wilder Park with a combined 43 hits, 24 of which whent for extra bases, and 41 runs. TAMUK started off strong with a two-run double up the middle from Zents and the first of three moon shots from Stefano in the top of the first. His two-run blast to left put the Hogs up 4-0 early but TSU responded with seven runs by the third inning, with four coming by the long ball.

Stefano had his second home run in the fourth, a three-run shot to left, to put the Blue and Gold up 8-7, but the Texans responded with four runs in the bottom half of the frame for an 11-8 lead going into the fifth. TAMUK posted six more runs in the top half of the stanza, with Stefano providing the fireworks yet again in the form of a two-run double to center to break the 11-11 tie, while Caudle ripped a double down the left field line for a 14-11 cushion.

The Texans added another home run in the fifth and sixth that pushed the lead in its favor to 17-14 heading into the seventh, but Stefano was there once again with a two-run jack to right that cut the deficit to 17-16. TSU kept the lead at two runs after plating another in the bottom of the seventh while the Javelinas pushed their total to 20 in the top of the eighth behind an RBI single from Giancarlo Servin (Edinburg, Texas) and a three-run home run from Loredo. The Texans, however, came away with the win in walk-off fashion after tying the contest in the bottom half of the frame with a two-run double to center before an RBI single in the ninth finalized the score at 21-20.

Javelinas seeded fifth in NCAA South Central Regional - May 13, 2018

TAMUK didn't have to wait long to know its fate in the NCAA postseason as the program drew the fifth seed in the South Central Regional to be hosted by West Texas A&M in Canyon, Texas, at Wilder Park. It was the fifth time the program reached the regional tournament under the direction of Jason Gonzales, last accomplished in the 2016 season.

With the fifth seed, the Javelinas were slated to face second-seeded Colorado Mesa on May 17 in the opening round of the regional. The Hogs have a long history with the Mavericks as the teams last saw each other in the 2016 regional in CMU's backyard at Suplizio Field where TAMUK walked off with the win at 7-6 in an elimination game to reach the third day of the tournament.

Other teams to reach the regional included LSC Champion Tarleton, facing host WT in the opening round, along with Heartland Conference Champion St. Edward's as the third seed taking on RMAC runner-up Colorado Mines as the fourth seed.

Javelinas defeat Mavericks 13-10 in opening round of South Central Regional - May 17, 2018

The Hogs started off the regional with a strong showing against Colorado Mesa with a 13-10 win at Wilder Park on day one. Stefano started the contest with a ground-rule double to left that scored Zents for a 1-0 lead in the top of the first before a sacrifice fly from Hernandez in the third kicked off a seven-run rally.

Stefano made his presence felt again with a three-run shot to left that pushed the cushion to five, while an infield ground ball mishandled by the Mavs allowed Servin to score before a rundown between first and second gave Hutcheson the window to expand the lead to 8-0.

CMU got two runs back in the fourth that were quickly matched by TAMUK in the fifth with a two-run single from Ullman and an RBI single from Caudle for an 11-2 cushion. The Mavericks made their push over the next two innings, getting one run in the bottom of the fifth before tacking on six more in the sixth.

The 11-9 lead favoring the Hogs ballooned back to four runs after Hernandez skied a two-run home run in the top of the seventh while CMU added a desperation run in the eighth before the score was finalized shortly after at 13-10. The win moved TAMUK to the second round of the winners bracket to face Colorado Mines on day two of the regional.

Hogs fall to Orediggers in extras at 9-7 - May 18, 2018

The Javelinas fell to Colorado School of Mines on the second day of the regional despite taking a 4-0 lead by the bottom of the second. Hernandez started the scoring with a fielder's choice grounder in the first that scored Ullman, while three runs came across in the second courtesy of a ground ball from Alex Gonzalez, a bounding-ball double up the middle from Ullman who later scored on a wild pitch from a walk issued to Zents.

CSM took the lead in the top of the third behind a grand slam and an RBI single, but the Hogs knotted it up at five apiece in the home half of the frame after Alex Gonzalez pushed a base hit into right that scored Hutcheson.

The cushion was extended to two later in the game after Servin scored on a wild pitch in the fifth before a sacrifice fly from Zents in the sixth plated Ullman, but the Orediggers got one run back in the eighth on an RBI single into right before the tying run came home in the top of the ninth to send the game into extras.

Both sides were held scoreless in the 10th before a solo shot to left in the 11th put CSM up for good. The Orediggers got an insurance run on a double to right before heading into the bottom of the stanza and the Javelinas were poised to tie the game after Loredo and Hernandez strung back-to-back singles with one out. Unfortunately the comeback attempt fell short as CSM closed out the game at 9-7 to send the Javelinas to the elimination bracket.

Javelinas walk-off Buffs 2-1 in extras to advance - May 19, 2018

The first test TAMUK had to face in the elimination bracket was Lone Star Conference rival and host school West Texas A&M early in the day. What ensued was a back-and-forth pitcher's duel that saw 2018 LSC Freshman of the Year Flores trade punches with WT's Ryan Larison over the course of nine innings.

The Hogs struck first in the bottom of the third after Zents lined a double to right that scored Ullman before the Buffs got the run back in the top of the fourth on a sacrifice fly to left. Despite the lone blemish for either hurler, Flores ended up with a career-high nine innings pitched and 12 strikeouts for the no-decision.

Flores had to work out of a few jams down the stretch to avoid the loss as WT got two runners on with one out in the top of the fifth before he spun a 10-pitch strikeout and a fly ball to right to end the threat. The Buffs had two runners on again in the eighth that required some finesse from the San Antonio native with another strikeout followed by a groundout scooped by Zents, but the ante was upped in the top of the ninth when WT loaded the bases with two outs.

After a nine-pitch walk put the third runner on for WT, Flores needed only four pitches to sit down Jimmy Cubillos to preserve the 1-1 tie and send the game to extras. His theatrics on the mound soon took a back seat in the bottom of the 10th as Ingraham reached on a two-out single and went to steal second on the next at-bat to set off a chain reaction that propelled TAMUK to another elimination game later in the day.

Ingraham made a break for second on the first pitch of the at-bat and slid in safely with an errant throw bouncing past the second baseman. He took off for third from there and the throw back in from center field sailed high over the head of the third baseman and his quick turn to home resulted in a head-first slide into the plate before he was mobbed by his teammates.

The thrilling 2-1 win for the Hogs was short-lived as they would later face Colorado Mines that same day for a rematch in the elimination bracket at the regional.

Javelinas defeat Orediggers 5-2 behind Craft's complete-game gem - May 19, 2018

The second of two pitching gems on the day came by way of Craft who got the start against Colorado Mines in the nightcap. He started the contest with four strikeouts through the first three innings while TAMUK tallied four runs in the second.

A bases-loaded walk issued to Loredo started the rally as he pushed Jones home. Another walk issued to the following batter in Zents allowed Hernandez to score while a two-run single into center from Stefano set the score at 4-0 heading into the bottom half of the frame.

Craft, meanwhile, kept CSM away from the bases as he allowed only four baserunners through the first seven innings, and only two of which advanced as far as second base. He struck out the side in the fifth to push his strikeout total to seven and added two more by the eighth to keep the Orediggers scoreless.

The Javelinas got an insurance run in the sixth, meanwhile, after Loredo dropped a single into right that plated Alex Gonzalez, before CSM finally solved the riddle Craft was throwing. A leadoff single in the bottom of the eighth eventually led to the first run allowed as Joe Popp scored on a double to right from Christian Wardle, who scored on a bounding-ball single from Jace Selsor one batter later.

Craft was not swayed, however, as he got the final two outs in the next two at-bats and struck out one more in a scoreless ninth to secure the Hogs' place in Sunday's finale with a 5-2 final

Hogs clinch South Central Regional Championship over Mavericks 12-5 - May 20, 2018

Having to wait until the afternoon to know their opponent, the Javelinas ended up facing Colorado Mesa once again in the regional final for the chance to go to the Division II Baseball Championships in Cary, N.C., the next week.

The Hogs wasted little time as the first three batters reached safely in the bottom of the first and it took only one swing from Stefano to give TAMUK the lead. He lifted the 1-0 pitch over the left center wall for a grand slam and a 4-0 lead heading into the second as he pushed his home run to five in the last six games.

Loredo tacked on another in the second with a double to left, while Hernandez bounced a single into right to score Caudle in the third before a bases-loaded walk issued to Ullman set the cushion at 7-0 heading into the fourth.

Lee May Gonzalez (Corpus Christi, Texas), meanwhile, got the start on the mound and worked through five scoreless innings with three strikeouts. CMU finally broke through in the sixth with three runs that forced a change to Valdez with two outs and the bases loaded, who needed only one pitch to get a ground ball out to end the threat.

The Javelinas got the runs back and then some in the bottom half of the stanza as Loredo kicked off a four-run rally with a single into left that scored Alex Gonzalez. Stefano mirrored the hit with a single into right to plate Loredo, while Caudle tacked on the final two runs with a bounding-ball single up the middle for an 11-3 lead heading into the seventh.

The Mavericks added another run in the seventh, matched by TAMUK in the bottom of the inning when Ingraham swiped third and scored on an errant throw, while the last gasp came in the top of the eighth with a ground ball to Ullman that set the score at 12-5 going into the home half of the frame.

Plovanich took over for the Blue and Gold with one out and two runners on, and worked out of the inning with a fly ball to right to flip the lineup card over. The ninth inning started with a ground ball fielded by Plovanich before an infield single set the stage for the final at bat.

One pitch was all it took as a ground ball to Ullman was flipped to Alex Gonzalez who relayed it over to Hernandez to secure the win and the Javelinas' spot in the final site at the USA Baseball NTC.

Zents named First Team All-South Central Region by ABCA - May 23, 2018

Zents added his third All-South Central Region accolade of the season following the regional tournament as he landed on the First Team by the ABCA. The award is in addition to his selections to the D2CCA and NCBWA All-Region first teams as he raised his average to .351 ahead of the College World Series.

Hogs seeded sixth for Division II Baseball Championships - May 26, 2018

It took the better part of the week for the remaining regional tournaments to finish, but by the time the dust had settled the Javelinas were seeded sixth in the final bracket and drew third-seeded UC San Diego for day one at the USA Baseball NTC.

Tritons down Javelinas 4-0 in opening round of College World Series - May 27, 2018

UC San Diego jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first in the opening day of the final bracket and never looked back. Jarred Taylor (Vidor, Texas) got the start on the mound and took the decision after throwing four innings with four strikeouts.

TAMUK was held to five hits, with Zents dropping a two-out single in the top of the first for the first hit while Ullman roped a one-out double to left in the top of the third as one of four Hogs to reach scoring position in the contest. Alex Gonzalez ended up at first base on an error to lead off the eighth and reached second with a two-out single to center from Zents for another prime scoring opportunity, but the Blue and Gold were unable to capitalize and ended up in the elimination bracket for a matchup against Mercyhurst.

Hogs blank Lakers in elimination game - May 29, 2018

The Javelinas rebounded with a strong showing against Mercyhurst in the second round of the bracket. Flores got the start and turned in six scoreless innings with eight punchouts to take the first win in program history at the College World Series.

The offense, meanwhile, got a fast start in the top of the third after Zents dropped a single into left to score Ullman. A five-run rally took place in the top of the fourth after a squeeze bunt from Ullman plated Servn for the first run, followed by an RBI single from Loredo, a sacrifice fly from Zents, a triple from Stefano and an RBI single from Caudle for a 6-0 lead heading into the bottom half of the frame.

TAMUK padded the lead in the top of the seventh when Ullman skied his first home run of the year out to left and got two more in the eighth on an RBI groundout from Hernandez and an RBI liner to left center from Servin to cement the score at 9-0.

Hogs' historic run ends in loss to Florida Southern - May 30, 2018

The historic run to the Division II Baseball Championships ended on May 30 with a loss to Florida Southern as the Mocs took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a solo shot to left. The Javelinas were held to three hits in the game with only two runners advancing past first base.

FSC expanded it's 4-0 lead to 8-0 in the top of the eighth before a double to left from Travis Geiser (Portland, Texas) in the home half of the stanza with one out went in as the last chance to score before the contest was finalized.

Despite the early exit, there was plenty to celebrate around the Javelinas' success as they finally moved past the South Central Regional for the first time in program history and claimed their first win at the Baseball Championships, setting the foundation by which all future teams would follow.